Four Words
by Readergirl37
Summary: Not one story, several individual prompt fills written with a weekly four word prompt. Mostly Elejah, other ships will make appearances.
1. Please, come with me

AN: Set during the Mikaelson ball. The prompt for this story is, "Please, come with me."

* * *

"Please, come with me," Elijah says quietly, leaning close enough to whisper it. He knows he deserves the suspicion in the eyes looking at him. There are few things he's sure of when it comes to Elena, but he knows she trusts him because she still follows him. If Elena was suspicious she would have done something, but instead she just asks.

"Is something wrong?" Elena stops walking and mouths the words at him. The hallway is empty and the light hits her dress to make her glow slightly. He nods and she exhales and they keep walking. He doesn't smell blood, if she was going to see his mother, he got there just in time to prevent that. The guests talk and mingle, there's still dancing going on in the ballroom-he can hear the engine of Kol's favorite car. Among other things after being undaggered, Kol wanted to make sure he could drive. For better or worse, Elijah and Klaus took turns teaching their siblings how to. It came in handy this time.

They make it out through a door and her dress sighs as she picks up the full skirt. They watch a few cars drive away from the Mikaelson manor and Elijah looks to her for a moment. There's a flash of metal in his hands, car keys-a smooth black car unlocks, the lights flash.

"Do you trust me?" Elijah says quietly and Elena's thoughts flicker to the warm house full of people, noise, safety, light.

"With my life," Elena says and Elijah wonders if she means _only_ her life or if she's telling him she trusts him with everything.

"Then get into the passenger seat," Elijah says and Elena walks to the car, watching him with interested eyes. If he wanted her dead, she'd be dead. If Klaus or Rebekah wanted her dead, she'd probably get drained into blood bags in the basement. Elijah wouldn't let that happen. The reason behind that makes Elena uncomfortable. She does things because _it's Elijah_ and she doesn't want to think about why she cares so much. Elena doesn't want to quite think about why she worries about the immortal man she's following, he's survived centuries without her concern. If Elena's really being honest with herself, sometimes she wonders if he has reasoning, or if it's just that she's Elena, the doppelganger, of course she has to be protected. She wonders if it's just honor and duty that make him protect her or if feelings play a role-even a small one. As always, his face is unreadable as he opens the passenger door for her. She thanks him quietly and arranges her skirt so he can shut the door.

Something's up but they're probably still within hearing range of his siblings. Within a few seconds his door's shut too, there's two clicks of seatbelts. The engine purrs and the headlights illuminate the inky night. Elijah drives but he doesn't go over the speed limit and Elena relaxes into her seat. Elijah's always a safer driver, at least in her experience, she thinks. Elena turns on the radio and finds a mellow song as thunder cracks. Lightning flashes and promises rain.

"Elijah-what's going on?" Elena asks.

"My mother wants to kill us. She was going to speak with you and take some of your blood to do it. By taking you away, she can't accomplish that. Niklaus has Caroline in case Esther wanted to use her as leverage, against him or you and my siblings have been leaving the ball one by one. Rebekah is last, she should leave in a few minutes," Elijah says, eyes glancing at the time.

"So your mom wants to kill us and you got stuck with doppelganger duty?" Elena asks and Elijah chuckles at that.

"I highly doubt you'd want to be with Rebekah or Niklaus instead," Elijah counters and rain begins to pour.

"True. So what's the plan?" Elena asks. Tatia's blood made them into vampires, it makes sense it might be able to undo that too. Stupid magicial blood.

"We stay safe until midnight. My mother's life has a time limit-the magic that keeps her alive will end at midnight, regardless if she kills us or not," Elijah says.

"So then you just take me home after that?" Elena asks. They have a few hours until midnight. Elijah nods.

"I'm sorry she's trying to kill you. She mentioned that she wanted to see me on my invitation. I was on my way to see her when you told me to leave with you, actually," Elena tells him and looks at the road in front of them, illuminated and empty.

"I had good timing then," Elijah says. Elena changes radio stations and Elijah drives. Elena realizes sharply that there's going to be a day she sees Elijah for the last time. Elijah looks over with concerned dark eyes and a raised eyebrow. Right, her heart rate went up.

"Just realized something," Elena says lightly and hopes he doesn't press.

"And what would that be?" Elijah asks.

"Just something obvious. Do you like this station or should I change it?" Elena asks.

"The station's fine," Elijah says and she looks at him as they pass a sign that declares they're leaving Mystic Falls and that they should come back soon. Elena thinks about different things to talk about, books he might have read and where his siblings are. No doubt her house is where Esther would look for them first, but she's thankful they're only driving for a few hours.

* * *

It's not a long drive, it's not a long time to be stuck in a car, and Elijah's preferable to other people she's been stuck with before. Alaric's at his apartment and Jeremy's spending the night at Matt's. Elena wonders if she should invite Elijah in, if he'd even want to come in, he's got siblings to check in with. They'll eventually move on from Mystic Falls and eventually separate have lives. Maybe that would change if she actually said something or made a move. Elijah parks in her driveway and Elena looks at him.

"Do you want to come in?" Elena asks as she opens her door. Should he risk it? Does she want him or does she want his protection? How much does she really trust him? Thoughts run through his head as she gets out of the car, car door shutting.

"I do," Elijah answers, and Elena smiles. There's a lot of things they're unsure of, especially with each other, but it's okay. They trust each other. That's enough for now.


	2. I can't do this

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: I can't do this."

* * *

"I can't do this. I can't just stand by and let the Originals die. Kol and Finn have never done anything to me and Elijah-" Elena trails off. Stefan raises an eyebrow while Bonnie gives her a hard look.

"Just let it happen, Elena. We're this close to getting rid of them," Bonnie says and there's a sick feeling of dread in Elena's stomach as her phone beeps. Elena checks her phone and makes the decision. She sends a text and reads the text from Jeremy.

"Fine. I've got to go," Elena says, picking up her bag and looking at Bonnie and the Salvatores, the quiet living room they're in. She shuts the front door quietly and looks to her phone. Nothing. Elena drives away from Bonnie's house and wait until she's sure she's out of the range of the Salvatores' hearing. Time to call. Elijah has to listen, he has to help. The ball is in three days and he has to answer his phone, he always does.

"Elena?" Elijah asks, surprise coloring his tone.

"We need to talk. Can we meet somewhere? You and me?" Elena asks and he pauses.

"Elena, what do we need to speak about?" Elijah asks. There's a dozen more questions and doubts he could voice, but he waits for her answer.

"It's life and death. Please. I need to talk to you soon," Elena says urgently. If she tells him his mother wants to kill them, he might go after her first. Telling him Stefan, Damon and Bonnie want his family dead isn't smart either. She wants to protect them and Elijah-picking between them will tear her apart for reasons she can't name.

"Where do you want to meet?" Elijah inquires.

* * *

Elijah parks next to her and Elena takes a deep breath, heart in her throat.

"Your mother wants to kill you. She's using the Bennetts to do it. Bonnie said Esther's channeling their magic somehow. And I heard them mention champagne. I think when your siblings are all together for the ball-Esther's going to do a spell on the champagne to kill your family," Elena says. Elijah takes a breath and Elena leans against her car.

"How long have you known about this?" Elijah asks. Elena bites her lip and knows he's watching and waiting.

"I knew there was a plan to kill your family. I didn't get any details until today. I called as soon as I could. I might hate Klaus but I don't want you dead. And Rebekah, Kol and Finn haven't-they don't deserve that either," Elena finishes. She knows he'll never let anyone kill Klaus, and it's hard to bottle up her hatred for him sometimes but they're on the same side on this.

"Killing my family would kill all vampires. Any vampires we sired and their progeny and so on. If your Salvatores are involved, they signed their own death warrants," Elijah tells her and Elena shakes her head, aware she's about to focus on the wrong thing.

"They're not mine. I'm not with either of them. Whatever I thought about Stefan-there's nothing left. I'm moving on. And I've never been interested in Damon. And I don't know if any of them knew that," Elena says and if Elijah's surprised he doesn't show it. The woods make noise, bugs and animals moving, the wind blows through the trees and Elena wonders if she made a mistake telling him that. It's life or death information and she told him she was single. Still, they keep each other updated on things, she can almost justify it-it's just information. Elijah likes information, likes knowing about changes and people, at least in her experience.

"Thank you for telling me about this, lovely Elena. I will handle this. In the meantime, we need to play our parts," Elijah says. Elena sighs and he raises an eyebrow.

"Guess that means I still need to find a dress then," Elena says and Elijah chuckles. Elena realizes things will be fine, this was the right choice. Elijah will take care of it and they'll make it through. They both have roles to play and she needs to get home before someone realizes she isn't there.

"Thank you for telling me," Elijah says and Elena nods, smiling slightly, eyes crinkling at his words.

"Of course. Stay safe. Save a dance for me?" Elena quips and Elijah nods.

"I will," Elijah promises and Elena smiles at him. Elena's phone beeps. They need to go their separate ways, if he needs to talk to her, he will. Until then she's got a few days to find a dress and lie to everyone.

* * *

Elijah shares plan details with her via text as Caroline gets ready with her. She managed to find a dress with Caroline, by some miracle. It's a soft purple, Caroline's in a blue dress that goes with her eyes and she wiggles her eyebrows at Elena.

"You've got happy face. You're texting someone you like," Caroline guesses and Elena reads the texts. Bonnie and her mother are going to have their magic taken for the night to stop his mother as a fail-safe-Esther can't draw power from witches who don't have magic. There are fail-safes and there's lying, Elena has to make sure no one knows their plan-or everyone might die because of Esther. Elena does her best not to shiver at the thought.

"It's not like that," Elena says and Caroline raises an eyebrow.

"Who are you texting?" Caroline asks and Elena types a quick reply. She'll talk to Esther if there's no option, but Elijah hopes to keep her away from that. Elena told him about Vicki and Matt-what Esther did, she doesn't want to be alone with Esther any more than she wants to be alone with Klaus.

"Elijah. I had a question about when the ball ended and since they're hosting I figured I'd ask," Elena says. It's not really a lie, that's what she just asked him about but that's not the only thing she's texted Elijah about in the past few minutes.

"I wonder what Esther looks like," Caroline wonders as she puts her necklace on.

"Wonder if she's still homicidal," Elena replies as she puts her earrings in.

"That too," Caroline says and Elena knows that no matter how the ball goes-it's going to be a long night. Elena sends another text to Elijah-if things go south she wants someone to get Caroline out of it and away from the mess.

"Close your eyes, I'm checking your makeup one last time," Caroline says and Elena wishes she could have an early night in. Something brushes against her eyelid before Caroline speaks again.

"Let's go," Caroline smiles at her, and Elena hopes they're both alive at the end of the night. She smiles at Caroline and follows her down the stairs.

* * *

Elijah offers his hand before he speaks, Elena catches Damon's eye. The Salvatores didn't want her here-one of the many reasons she went with Caroline.

"I'd love to, let's dance," Elena says, putting her hand in his as she says it. If Elijah was surprised by how quickly she slipped her hand in his, she missed it. The rush makes her think of dances she's used to, loud music and crowded spaces. Elena's thoughts drift to Elijah in one of those places, he'd never dance like that; at least, not with her. Elijah's leading the way to the ballroom, he must feel the Salvatores staring at them like she can. The ballroom smells new, like most of the mansion from what she's seen. Elena wonders if Klaus planned to keep his siblings in coffins or if he actually wanted them to live together. Dancing with Elijah is easy, she knows this dance, and so does he. Caroline's dancing with Klaus, Elena notices.

"She's fine," Elijah says quietly to her, Elena forces herself to relax, loosen her grip on Elijah's hand. Elena doesn't need to tell him that she's just worried, that this entire thing has her on edge.

"You are exquisite in that dress," Elijah murmurs and Elena looks at him, startled at the compliment.

"Thank you," Elena says and Elijah reminds her that they're going to switch partners for the next part. Elena finds herself dancing with Kol, Elijah's out of sight. Kol's a good dancer, but she ends up leading slightly, he doesn't know the dance as well as she does. Elena has to focus on the dancing and less on her partner. Kol doesn't seem to mind the lack of conversation, but he smiles before he eventually speaks.

"Elena Gilbert. I've heard a lot about you from my brother," Kol says. Of course Klaus talks about needing her blood and messing up her life. Of course.

"You might have to be more specific. You have a few brothers," Elena says lightly.

They switch partners before Kol replies, looking at her with a mischievous look. Elijah's dancing with her again and Elena relaxes.

"We're switching to another dance in a few songs," Elijah tells her. Elena hopes that means they can stop switching partners, she doesn't want to dance with a few people at the ball. Stefan and Damon might try to take her away from the ball if she's dancing with them, and Finn and Klaus put her on edge.

* * *

"Elena, my mother has requested to see you," Finn says and Elena curses the fact she thought grabbing a glass of water would be fine. Of course Finn noticed when she wasn't dancing with Elijah.

"Okay," Elena says and wonders if Elijah can hear what they're saying, but she follows Finn up the imposing staircase, breathing steady. Elena thinks about Bonnie, about Caroline, and the vampires downstairs.

* * *

"Where's Elena?" Caroline asks, Klaus following behind her. Elijah adjusts his cufflinks as they watch people walk by.

"She is currently talking to Esther," Elijah answers and they can smell the sage burning upstairs.

"It's probably nothing. Right?" Caroline asks Klaus who glances to the stairs.

"Maybe," Klaus says and they watch a few people leave.

"They're probably just talking about-" Caroline glances at Elijah and stops. Klaus grins slightly and Elijah stiffens.

"Do you smell that?" Elijah asks. Caroline nods.

"Elena's bleeding. It's a fresh wound," Caroline says uneasily. Elijah's up the stairs at as human of a pace as he can manage, Caroline looks to Klaus.

"She did try to kill Elena once," Caroline reminds Klaus.

* * *

Elena smiles, wondering if Klaus and Caroline know about the plan, why Elijah looks so relieved to see her.

"She wanted to apologize for trying to kill me. I cut my hand on accident," Elena lies and the vampires in front of her know she's lying, but not about _what_ she's lying about. Elijah accepts the answer and leads the way back downstairs.

"Don't let any of the vampires drink the champagne. Esther poisoned it. She used my blood. I'm not sure if she did the spell yet or not," Elena says quietly. Caroline raises an eyebrow.

"If she hasn't done the spell yet, she's going to soon. You two need to go home," Elijah says and Klaus frowns as Elena nods.

"Come on Care. We need to go," Elena pulls gently at her friend's hand.

"What's going on?" Caroline asks, unmoving.

"Elena will explain when you're leaving," Elijah says and Elena nods.

"Fine. I want the full scoop from you two later," Caroline warns and allows Elena to lead her out the front door.

"Esther wants to kill her children. Bonnie and the Salvatores think killing the Mikaelsons will fix things. But Esther's using Bonnie and her mom for power and we're not sure if they know or not. Elijah safely removed their magic for the night. They don't know that Esther wants to get rid of _all_ vampires. Elijah's theory is that if an Original dies, their entire line dies with them. Esther used my blood for a spell a few minutes ago, when she tries to do magic, she's going to realize Bonnie and her mom don't have any," Elena says and Caroline drives.

"And you didn't feel like sharing with the class? You and Elijah didn't have to keep this to yourselves," Caroline says.

"I know. But I found out three days ago. And if Bonnie thought anything was up with either of us, they might have told Esther," Elena points out and Caroline sighs.

* * *

Elijah sends her a text when it's over, it's late but Esther is dead and the Bennetts have their magic back. Elena wonders if they'll ever dance together again, but it's a question for the morning. Things worked out like she hoped, and it's enough. Elena sends a quick reply, and falls asleep.


	3. You're always number one

AN: I am so sorry I haven't been updating much lately, college and work have been kicking my butt and my free time is spent sleeping.

The prompt for this chapter is: "You're always number one."

* * *

She's leaning over him with a smile on her face, relief in those familiar brown eyes.

"Happy to see your favorite doppelganger of the day?" Elena asks as she hands him a blood bag. Elijah gives her an amused look as he takes it.

"You've always been my favorite," Elijah tells her truthfully and Elena moves off the couch they're on to give him some room. It's the same room he was staked in, he notes, taking in the moved furniture and Elena's relaxed posture. He would have come back eventually, but judging by the light coming through the windows, he's only been out for an hour.

"I better be. Someone told the hunter that there are Originals in Australia," Elena smiles and Elijah can fill in the gaps. Let the hunter go on a fake lead, far away from New Orleans and the truth.

"Someone did an excellent job," Elijah says and she sends a text to Rebekah, Elijah's fine now. Everyone can stop searching, they'll be heading to the compound in a few minutes.

"I'm really your favorite?" Elena asks carefully as he throws the blood bag away. Elijah looks to her with disbelief and Elena waits for him to answer.

"Of course," Elijah says, like it's obvious. They really should get back to the Compound, but she smiles slightly after he says it. It's always good to see her smile.

* * *

What Caroline doesn't understand is how Elena can be so close to Elijah and yet so oblivious of what he thinks of her. Elena smiles as he leaves, and Caroline wants to bug Elena about it. It's so obvious. The next morning, Elijah's up before Elena is and he pours her a cup and fixes it exactly how she likes it. Like clockwork, Elena comes to the kitchen a few minutes after that and smiles at him before she takes a sip. They talk about their plans for the day as Caroline gets a blood bag from the fridge and walks back to her room, wondering if Klaus is still asleep.

* * *

"Elena, when are you going to ask him out?" Caroline finally asks. Elena raises an eyebrow. Caroline can't take it anymore, and the quiet cafe they're at is perfect, no Originals around.

"Who?" Elena asks as she looks down at her phone, fingers dancing around the keyboard, like she isn't probably texting the Original at the moment.

"Elijah," Caroline presses. Elena shakes her head.

"No way. He doesn't like me back. We're just friends," Elena replies.

"If you ask him out and he says no, I'll buy your coffee for the next two years and you can tell him it was a dare from me," Caroline says. Elena almost looks like she's considering it as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"What if he says yes?" Elena asks, nervously. Caroline sighs at her.

"Then you've got a date with the man you've been dancing around for years!" Caroline says. It's kind of a win-win either way, and Caroline looks like the cat that ate the canary, she knows she's right. Elena sighs this time.

"Fine. I'll do it. If this backfires though, you have to tell him it was a dare and we were joking and I get to pick a dare for you," Elena says. Caroline likes those odds.

"Deal," Caroline grins. She can't wait for Elena to just see that Elijah likes her the way she likes him. Neither of them are as subtle as they think they are.

* * *

It's an entire week before Elena finally asks. Caroline can hear them downstairs in the kitchen and she sighs. Elijah is a smart, capable man who is so clearly in love with Elena. Yet he hasn't asked her out in the entire time since Elena moved to NOLA and Caroline's beginning to wonder if Elena forgot her promise. If they're both too worried to ask each other she's going to steal one of their phones and get it over with. Caroline pauses her planning and listens in on their conversation, just in case.

"Elijah, do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" Elena asks, looking up at him.

"Where are you thinking? Rebekah's out shopping but the others are here," Elijah says and Elena shakes her head.

"I meant just you and me," Elena says carefully and Elijah raises an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?" Elijah asks, concerned eyes scan her face. Elena lets out an awkward laugh, trying to assess the situation. Caroline's home so if it goes sideways, she can blame her and say it was a bet.

"No. Your favorite doppelganger is trying to ask you out on a date if you don't have any other exciting dinner plans," Elena says, embarrassment coloring her voice and Caroline holds her breath.

"Oh. I can do that. Where were you thinking?" Elijah asks. Elena remembers he mentioned having plans a few days ago.

"Wait, don't you have plans tonight? We can go out another night," Elena tells him.

"You're always number one, especially with dinner. I can prolong the meeting I had scheduled tonight," Elijah promises and Elena relaxes, leaning against the counter.

"I didn't have a place in mind," Elena admits.

"We can figure it out," Elijah says and smiles, wide and genuine. Elijah smiles back and butterflies fill her stomach.

Caroline smiles to herself and texts Klaus, Elijah and Elena won't be eating with them tonight.


	4. Let me help you

It's a quiet Sunday morning, Elena's drinking coffee and thinking about making breakfast when her phone rings.

"Hey Care, what's up?" Elena asks, pouring herself another cup of coffee.

"Um. Since you're in Mystic Falls, thought you should know-Elijah's missing. And we're pretty sure he doesn't have any memories," Caroline says.

"What do you mean _he's missing?_ Who took his _memories?"_ Elena asks. Steam rises off her coffee cup and there's a moment of silence.

"We're not sure. He's just gone. I thought you should know because he's your sire and you're close and he might try to go home to Mystic Falls," Caroline says.

"Do we know if he has his phone on him?" Elena asks, pouring a few seconds of creamer into her latest cup of coffee.

"It's here, along with all of his stuff," Caroline answers.

"I'll go look for him, see if he's here. I'll call if I see him," Elena promises. Caroline sighs and then thanks her, this whole situation is a nightmare.

"Good, we're trying to keep it quiet because there are people here who will get antsy if Elijah's gone-and we don't need another power struggle and we don't want word to reach hunters," Caroline says and Elena makes a noise of agreement. The phone call's over after they say goodbye. Elena takes a moment to drink her cup of coffee and prepare herself for the day.

* * *

It's been a pretty boring day in the woods, Elena's ready to admit that Elijah probably isn't anywhere _near_ Mystic Falls. The woods are empty and Elena turns sharply when she hears a twig breaks. Elena recognizes the person instantly, despite the wardrobe change.

"Elijah," Elena says, walking carefully to him. He's not spooked, he just looks at her with curious eyes. He's not wearing a suit, he looks younger in jeans, t-shirt, and a leather jacket. It's not a bad look but she doesn't let herself dwell on that.

"Do I know you?" Elijah asks, looking at her with interest.

"You lost your memory, so you don't really know me but I know you," Elena says, and he stares at her with those intense, dark eyes. Elena resists the old, buried urge to fidget-she would have if she was human but she knows he's sizing her up, vampire to vampire.

"How do you know me?" Elijah asks, taking a measured step closer to her. He seems confident even without his memories and Elena wonders what all he knows.

"You're my sire. You taught me how to be a vampire," Elena answers, she knows he's listening to her heartbeat. Elijah knows she's telling the truth, and looks at her. That's not all they are but it's enough for now, they should get out of the woods.

"It's gonna be dark soon, you should come with me," Elena says. Elijah looks amused at that.

"You don't have your wallet or your phone and if you wanted to spend the night somewhere, you kind of need money," Elena says.

"Or compulsion," Elijah says, amused.

"Let me help you. Vervain's in the water supply of most of the county," Elena says, and she watches Elijah sigh.

* * *

"How long have we known each other?" Elijah asks as he takes off his jacket. Elena looks at his arms for a brief second before answering, it's rare for Elijah to show off that much skin; or at least it was for the Elijah she knew when he had his memories.

"About five years? It's a long story if you want to hear it," Elena says.

"I do," Elijah says. Elena texts Caroline, she's got Elijah. He seems to know how things work and that he's ancient-but he doesn't remember living through different times or meeting her.

"Are you hungry? I have blood in the fridge," Elena offers. Elijah shakes his head.

"No, thank you," he says, still a gentleman. She can almost imagine him as a human man, born in the same decade she was.

"So, you don't remember Katherine, Rose or Trevor?" Elena asks and Elijah shakes his head. Elena lets go of the breath she was holding. If he doesn't remember Katherine, he might not remember Tatia either.

"Okay, this is going to be a long story of what I know about your family and Klaus's curse and how that relates to me and how I died a few times," Elena begins. Elijah raises an eyebrow at that. Elena feels the need to explain and tell him, even if he won't remember this when they get his memory back.

"I died before I became a vampire. And if you count drowning, I think I've technically died like three times," Elena says. Elijah looks intrigued and they sit on her couch as she begins the long story of his family, his life, Klaus and how they met.

* * *

 _Great. Listen, you need to keep Elijah in Mystic Falls. We still don't know what happened to his memory and it's crazy over here right now. We're sending someone with some of his stuff, see if any of it jogs his memory._ The text from Caroline makes Elena wonder how long Elijah's supposed to stay with her, if they'll ever get his memory back.

"Who lives here with you?" Elijah asks. Elena looks up from her phone.

"Just Alaric. He's out for the summer at a teaching conference thing. You can take the guest bedroom, it's the one next to mine," Elena tells him.

"Why were you frowning earlier?" Elijah asks.

"Caroline texted me. They don't know who took your memories and they aren't having much luck trying to get them back," Elena admits.

"We must be close for you to worry about me so much," Elijah notes and Elena smiles slightly.

"I guess you could say that," Elena says, eyes meeting his. He looks at her with interested eyes and she resists the urge to move. She meets his gaze and waits.

"You're lovely," Elijah says it like it's a fact and drags the words out. If Elena was human she'd almost say he's looking at her like she's prey-the look on his face is foreign to her. He moves closer and her phone beeps. She looks down and looks at the text from Caroline. The moment's over, but Elena wonders if Elijah's things will help him remember who he is. While she likes to think she and Elijah have always been close-she's never acted on her feelings for him. Weirdly though, she's pretty sure he's into her without his memories. At the very least, she's lovely, she thinks, tucking hair behind her ear.

* * *

The fact Elijah is interested in her in some capacity without his memories makes her wonder if he's actually interested. He was supposedly interested in both Tatia and Katherine-but he doesn't remember them at the moment-it's not the reason he's interested in her. Her curiosity will have to wait. Elijah eventually settles into the guest room as Elena hears a knock at the door. She gets up from the couch and listens for another heartbeat. Whoever rang the doorbell is long gone so she opens her door. There's a suitcase on her porch and the name tag reads Elijah Smith in Elijah's neat handwriting.

"I have some of your stuff here," Elena says as she shuts the door, she knows he'll hear.

* * *

The handwriting is the same as his- and he carefully begins reading through the journals. He has no reason to doubt Elena, but his own recollection of some of the events she mentioned are interesting. He's in love with her, he discovers as he continues reading. If they were in a relationship, he wouldn't be in New Orleans and she would have mentioned that. Intriguing.

* * *

Elena knocks on his door, softly, only two knocks. It's awful to be so unsure of where she stands with Elijah, it's been years since she's had to wonder about it.

"Come in," Elijah says and she opens the door. He's shirtless. Elena tries to regain her composure, she knows he's watching her reactions but he's nothing but muscle. It takes her longer than she'd like to admit to look up from his abs to his face and embarrassment colors her face when her eyes meet his-dark and amused. Damn him.

"Caught up yet?" Elena asks, gesturing to the journal in his hand, it's something safe to stare at.

"Not yet," he replies, as her eyes glance back to his chest for a second.

"I'm heading to bed but let me know if you need anything," Elena says and he nods-back to the politeness she's familiar with-and wishes her sweet dreams. Elena hopes his memory comes back soon and that things go back to normal-living with Elijah is going to be interesting for sure.

* * *

Elijah's polite the next morning when Elena makes coffee. She texts Caroline to see if there's any progress. He still isn't wearing a suit and it's so odd to see him look so casual, sitting by her kitchen island.

I think once we get the spell reversed, Elijah might not remember living without his memories. Not sure though. We should have his memories back tomorrow or the day after. The text from Caroline is reassuring.

"You're staring. Penny for your thoughts?" Elijah asks and Elena realizes she got lost in her thoughts.

"Before you lost your memory, I'd never seen you in anything but a suit. You always wore suits," Elena reminds him.

"Can I ask you a personal question, lovely Elena?" Elijah asks, settling in the chair next to hers. Elena nods, looking over at him as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"You're interested in me. Why not make a move?" Elijah asks and Elena tries not to choke on her coffee. Her Elijah would never ask her something like that and certainly not as frank as that. After a moment, Elena decides to answer.

"You're usually hard to read. The Elijah I know with his memories has never expressed interest. Figured it's one sided," Elena admits honestly and he pushes his lips together slightly and has a knowing look on his face.

"What do you know that I don't?" Elena asks, trying think of what he could possibly know.

"I'm interested in you. Memories or not. I keep very precise journals when I know who I am," Elijah stage whispers to her and Elena's eyes widen.

"Are you pulling my leg?" Elena asks after a moment of consideration. Elijah shakes his head and puts his hands in clear view.

"Nope. Not in either way," Elijah says and Elena laughs, despite the shock.

"Did he write about breakfast?" Elena asks and Elijah grins at her, easy and carefree, she's rarely seen that grin.

"I think I can figure it out," Elijah jokes.

* * *

Elijah doesn't press for more information after that, they have breakfast, and have a quiet night in. Elena wants to ask how long Elijah's been interested, but even if he tells her without his memories-it's not fair to him. She's had to live with him before, but she was trying to get used to being a vampire, wrapping her head around eternity and drinking blood.

"Hey, Caroline said they're working with a witch, you should have your memories back tonight," Elena says and Elijah grins at her. He's been rereading some of the books that were with his clothes, relaxed in the chair next to the couch. He closes his eyes and Elena looks up from her laptop. When he opens his eyes, her phone beeps with Caroline's message tone and he looks at her like he used to.

"Hello there," Elijah says and she knows he's back, with his memories and all. Elena lets out the breath she was holding and grins at him.

"Hello," Elena replies back, grin still on her lips. He's back, things are as they should be, the worry melts away as he grins back.

"Have all of your memories back?" Elena asks and he nods.

"Thank you for looking after me," Elijah says. The mischievous look in his eyes tells her he remembers the few days with her.

"No problem," Elena says.

"I should go back to New Orleans," Elijah says, standing up.

"So soon?" Elena asks. It's a long drive and it's dark outside already and she doesn't want him to go.

"I have responsibilities there," Elijah reminds her, watching Elena frown. He doesn't worry about Elena like his siblings might think-he taught her well. If she had a problem she couldn't fix alone, Caroline would know, or she would ask for help. Elena is capable and there's not a concrete reason to stay-just wanting her presence seems trivial. There are things he's forgotten, he's trying to adjust to having all of those memories back. Elena puts her hand on his shoulder and leans up to kiss him.

Elijah kisses her back, all thoughts of leaving fading away. Elena pulls away for a second and he knows what he wants to say.

"Come with me," Elijah says simply and Elena bites her lip. This thing between them is new and uncertain but he doesn't want distance to kill it. Caroline's been asking Bonnie and Elena to move down since she arrived-it would make her happy.

"Okay," Elena can't help but grin and want to kiss him again, and they ignore her phone beeping and ringing for a few more minutes.

Things are just fine.


	5. I won't let you

AN: I am so sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything-I've had a lot on my plate and literally no time to write.

* * *

Elena stares at the man across from her and tries to figure out what she could possibly say. It's been a month since the ball-Esther put on a good show pretending she cared about her family. Elena reaches across the table and can feel the warmth of Elijah's hand in hers and his pulse. They're not quite a couple but they're not nothing either, there's never been a good time to actually date or talk lately. Elena squeezes his hand and takes in the coffee shop they're in as she thinks. People talk and order coffee, the music plays quietly over the noise of the machines and the door open and closing.

"I didn't know," Elena says, horrified. Elijah's usually hard to read face is open, and his eyes are soft. It's clear he doesn't place blame on her, it's not where it belongs. It's been an entire month since Esther talked to her at the ball-she had no idea anything was amiss. Maybe she and Elijah were too obvious-her hands in his for a few seconds longer than necessary, maybe it was their posture or the way he laughed at her jokes that night-it could have been anything. Elena thought Esther wanted her to look at the paper she handed her-she didn't know she was going to use her blood for anything.

"This is not your fault, lovely Elena," Elijah presses, and she blinks. The Originals are human-and she knows there's only one way to fix it. The coffee cup in her free hand is hot enough to warm her hand and not burn it, and Elena traces lines on the lid as she thinks.

"Have you called your contacts? Is there anyone who could do the spell to turn you back?" Elena asks and Elijah shakes his head. He still has that presence of being infinite, of knowing too much, but Elena can't even think about the idea he might eventually end. His life and knowledge, gone, just a pale corpse. Whatever they have would be cut short-and she's willing to bet Esther made sure all vampires would still be linked to her children. If any of them die, former vampires all over the world will die. As much as she hates Klaus, she doesn't want any of Elijah's siblings human and dead either-their lines will die when they do. Either they'll die of old age or someone will kill them-it's hard to think of any of them dying from a human condition. It's hard to think about the fact she could grow old with Elijah-this is a chance she never thought she would have but she knows she can't take it.

"Even if this isn't my fault-I could fix this right? You just need a witch and my blood to do the spell right?" Elena asks and Elijah's fingers tense against hers.

"This is not your fault-it's Esther's," Elijah corrects, and Elena takes a sip of her coffee.

"That is how the spell works, yes. Niklaus is looking into other options. The spell would kill you. I won't let anyone hurt you to fix this. "Even if we did go through with the spell or found another route involving you, it would still require your blood. Enough to kill you, Elena. The ingredients for the spell are very clear. We will find another way," Elijah promises and Elena shakes her head. She texts Rebekah under the table, she still has her number from the brief time they were friends. If Elijah won't do what needs to be done, Rebekah or Klaus will. In case Elijah tries anything, she sends the text-let his siblings know she'll do it. She loves him, she does, and maybe they're not at the point where they can say that but she knows she loves him-she has loved him. This isn't about him, though. This is her choice-she's going to do what needs to be done.

"I can do it. I could do the spell and turn with you. There's nothing in the spell that says I can't," Elena tells him. Elijah's hand tenses and it's a slight shift but she notices.

"I won't let you," Elijah presses and Elena holds her breath.

"You want to be human. You also want to live to see old age, grandchildren-I'm not going to let you throw away a chance my family and I never had," Elijah tells her and Elena shakes her head.

"Elijah," Elena murmurs and she has his full attention, she always did-and he waits for her to finish her thought.

"I love you. I'm in love with you but this is my choice. You aren't going to make it for me. This isn't about you, or just us. This is about the fact everyone will die if your family does-Caroline and Anna and Lexi. Everyone. I can fix this. Let me. You can teach me how to be a vampire and we'll be fine. I don't want to be human if that means everyone else has to die and I don't want the things I used to. I don't want kids-the Petrova line ends with me," Elena says quietly and he knows she means it. Elijah doesn't say anything, and she keeps talking.

"I love you too-but is this really what _you_ want? Or is this what you think you have to do?" Elijah asks.

"If I don't do it, then every vampire on the planet will die when their sire does. You're not invincible right now, and you have too many enemies to live long as humans. I gave up on picket fence dreams a while ago. I'm at peace with it," Elena says and grabs her coffee. It's time to go, the sooner they do this, the better.

"Where are you going?" Elijah raises an eyebrow as Elena's hand slips out of his. Despite the danger they're in, she still has butterflies in her stomach when he says he loves her, some part of her was worried he didn't-but she can't let that be her priority right now.

"I'm going to Klaus," Elena hates herself for saying it, but Klaus has a hell of a self preservation instinct and he's the most logical option. A hand on her arm doesn't do anything to stop her-Elijah only has human strength. It's a crowded coffee shop, but there are still eyes watching them and she can use that to her advantage if she needs to.

"Elijah, you can't compel me and you can't strongarm me. If you try to keep me here, I'll make a scene, which is the last thing either of us want. I'm doing this to save you too, you know. I love you, but you need to let me go. I'll come back, literally," Elena murmurs and the hand on her arm loosens.

"I'll make the damn calls and see you soon," Elijah mutters and Elena smiles briefly.

* * *

Rebekah opens the door, looking at her expectantly.

"The doppelganger is here to save us all," Rebekah says sarcastically but lets her in. Klaus appears in a second, looking at her. Maybe she is masochistic, letting Klaus kill her again. Elena follows Rebekah to the living room where almost all of the Mikaelsons are.

"I'm here on one condition-I get turned into an Original, just like you or I walk," Elena says, the deal is too good for them to not agree and she knows it. They want to live and she wants to save them, there's no way she's losing in this deal.

"Deal," Klaus answers immediately, just like she expected.

"So you had an ace up your sleeve," Finn muses. Elena shrugs.

"Why are you so eager to save us?" Rebekah drawls, and Kol grins.

"Maybe it's to save her _darling_ Salvatores," Kol offers, lazily from the couch he's sprawled out on. Elena avoids the many eyes looking at her.

"Is it a vampire?" Rebekah presses and Elena flushes with embarrassment. Elena and Elijah have been very quiet about their relationship- Klaus still wanted her blood for hybrids until he became human this morning.

"Are we going to talk about my love life or are we going to get a witch and fix this?" Elena snaps and Klaus grins. They're not friends, they're not even close, and Klaus stares at her too long. He knows, Elena thinks, but he's not going to say it, just torture her with the fact he knows and she knows he does. Maybe she'll care when she's undead, but she just wants to die and get it over with.

"I didn't know your mom was going to turn everyone human with my blood. This is my mistake. I'm fixing it," Elena says simply and Klaus nods. There's more to it, but they need to fix this before someone tries to kill them.

"Hope your iron levels are high," Klaus teases and Elena rolls her eyes with Rebekah.

"I'm calling Elijah, he won't want to miss this," Kol says and Elena looks at Rebekah instead. Maybe she and Elijah really were more obvious than she thought.

* * *

"You're drinking your own blood. Isn't that a little weird for you, hu-" Kol stops. Elena laughs, he can't call her human like it's an insult-they're all human.

"It's not the weirdest thing I've done this year," Elena admits, and downs the blood, trying to think of it like alcohol she has to knock back. It doesn't taste particularly appetizing, but it won't matter soon. She'll die of blood loss, and wake up undead.  
"Does anyone even know you're here?" Rebekah wonders, looking at Elena's phone, vibrating on the table next to her.

"Nope," Elena says and Elijah frowns at that as he walks into the room. He keeps his distance, thankfully. They don't need his siblings to connect the dots yet and she doesn't need the distraction.

"But you won't kill me-because I saved your lives. And I win, because the Petrova line ends with me," Elena grins as her head grows lighter. Elijah won't let them kill her either but she doesn't mention that.

"What about Jeremy?" Klaus asks and her grin widens like she won the lottery.

"He's a Gilbert. Not a drop of Petrova blood. There won't be another doppelganger," Elena laughs and Elijah has to admire her plan. Still, she's going to die soon and he's not sure how much he can stand to watch.

"See you soon," Elena mutters, eyes closing. She's not sure where the witches were or are, but it doesn't matter now.

* * *

It takes a minute for Elena to figure out where she is. Elijah's right next to her on the couch she died on and it almost looks like he's sleeping. The Mikaelsons will be up soon, and she checks her phone. There's too many texts to read, from Caroline, Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Alaric, Jeremy, and one from Elijah.

 _The Originals are vampires again._ Elena sends the text to all of them and waits. She skims through the other texts on her phone, most are confused panic, and a few are people wondering where she is. The text from Elijah though-she reads those carefully.

 _I hope that you read this. Your heart just stopped and I thought mine did too. We're about to die too, when we wake up-I can help you adjust if you want. I love you. I hope your plan works, that we have a future to explore together. I'll see you soon._ The text gives her pause-one of them must have felt for her pulse after she passed out. Elijah must have had doubt about their plan and watching him stay dead is unnerving too. The mansion's large, but she's pretty sure she'll find their kitchen eventually, they have nothing but time. They're going to need blood.

* * *

Elijah wakes up after she finishes her first bag of blood and she can hear him run to the kitchen. He looks at her like she's the moon and he's in awe of her, he holds her face in his hands for a second before he kisses her forehead. He's so gentle and they just died so Elena isn't surprised to find tears coming out of her eyes.

"We did it," Elena says, grin pulling at her lips and he nods, hands moving away from her face. They've kissed a few times and she thinks he's going to kiss her on the lips for a brief second, but he pulls her into a tight hug.

"We did," he murmurs as she rests her head against his shoulder, they're both in bloody clothes they should get out of soon, but it doesn't matter.

"You need blood," Elena reminds him, and he sighs, making no attempt to move away from her.

"This is more important," Elijah murmurs and Elena can't help the smile on her face. They'll figure things out, together.


End file.
